Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Rural Town Tries To Find Its Footing Again In Wake Of Mass Shooting

Though the event blended in with the more than 300 mass shootings American dealt with last year, the psychological ramifications of the incident are still be felt by the community.

Capital Public Radio:
California Town Wrestles With Aftermath Of Shooting Rampage
On one level, it looks like all is mostly back to normal in the small, rural community of Rancho Tehama in Northern California. But just below the surface it's clear people here are still grappling with the aftermath of a local man's murderous rampage nearly three months ago that killed five and wounded 12 others. (Westervelt, 2/9)

In other news from across the state —

San Francisco Chronicle:
Home Care Subsidy Helps SF’s Middle-Income Seniors
The Cherrys are among the beneficiaries of a pilot program, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, that provides financial assistance to middle-income people — mostly seniors and some younger adults with disabilities — to help pay for home care. ...The program is designed for people who have long struggled to afford home care on their own but who earn too much to qualify for free or low-cost home care like In-Home Supportive Services provided by Medi-Cal, the insurance program for the poor. (Ho, 2/11)

Ventura County Star:
Mental Health Chief Elaine Crandall Quits For New Position
The head of the Ventura County Behavioral Health Department is stepping down, officials announced this week. Director Elaine Crandall is leaving the post she has held for three years to accept another job, officials at the Ventura County Health Care Agency said in a prepared statement. The nature of her new position was not disclosed. (Wilson, 2/9)

Ventura County Star:
Ronald McDonald Project Slated For Ventura County Medical Center
It will be a place where families dealing with pediatric cancer or premature birth can take a breath. A Ronald McDonald family room planned for Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura would be the third such project in Southern California and the first in Ventura County. “I’ve been trying to get that facility for VCMC since 1989,” said Dr. Chris Landon, director of pediatrics at the county-run hospital in Ventura. “It gives you a chance to get away from the high drama that occurs in the hospital bed. It’s a place to feel like a family.” (Kisken, 2/11)

The Mercury News:
Mariah's Story: How A Bay Area Foster Child Died After Ingesting Meth Twice
Hundreds of pages of reports and records from San Joaquin Child Protective Services, the hospital, police and the coroner obtained by this news organization show a series of failures by the people tasked with protecting Mariah, from the social workers who chose not to remove her from the foster home after the first incident, to the doctors who appear to have accepted the foster mother’s suggestions that the drug poisoning occurred before the girl was in her care. (Gafni and DeBolt, 2/11)

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